captain america

Ok. Now I feal that I must bring-up a rather unpleasant aspect of this model... painting. More specifically, the complex and intricate mosaic of aztec patterns that cover the ship. Personally, I'm happy that PL have opted to not overscribe, or do with raised lines... Purely for authenticity's sake. However, there's going to be a mind-boggling amout of masking involed to paint it correctly. Any chance that someone will take the initiative and produce an aftermarket stencil set for this monster? I'd gladly produce it myself, but I'm far behind the learning curve on ST models, and I'm not the best poised to get access to the film prop.

Actually, I think that size bodes well on a kit like this; to paint the complicated mosaic pattern on something smaller would just be an exercise in frustration. For those of you who may not know it, Paramount went all-out for the production of the retrofit NCC-1701 miniature that was used in STAR TREK; The Motion Picture. That model has the distinction of being probably the very best film prop ever made in Hollywood, and I don't think that any prop has been made since with such a mind-boggling attention to detail. Everyone I know who's had the fortune to see it in person simply ghasps in awe at it.

fighter mode looks beautiful; very sleek and elongated. I'm just wondering if that very feature may end up causing problems for you in transformation; particularly because the bulk of the wing is almost completely aft of the engine nacelle.

It's unfortunate to see how much sheer grief Rob had to go through on a project as simple as the Valkyrie booster. I was so sure that there would be a little bit more professionalism in Japan, what with their strong GK industry, but apparently it's just as bad as in my neck of the woods (Montreal.) I pretty much don't subcontract anything out anymore because of incidents just like those... At this point I'd rather just refuse a client alltogether on a project than bite off more than I can chew and have to deal with all these half-assed con men

...And some of us professionals charge $40/hr

Addendum. More, higher-detail pics here: http://www.thomasmodels.com/refitmockup.html Also be sure to check the link to the index with even newer pics of the model; it may just be the pics, but it actually looks like they've toned-down some of the scribing, and the inner shuttle bay components look amazing!!!

The size is definitely impressive, but the huge ditches (scribing) on the saucer section leave me rather flat. At 1/350 scale, the only way you'd see any panel-lines would be from a different-colored paint demarcation. In stead of that horrid scribing, they could simply have molded the upper/lower saucer hull with alternating smooth and LIGHTLY-textured patches which could serve as painting demarcations. But alas...

actually, the finishing is quite decent from what I can see; proper pictures would certainly help though. The price is outrageously cheap, especially for a finish that good. Think about it... Even if a guy only charges $10 per hour for modelling services. Over the 30-40 hours necessary to finish it, that's already $300-400 and you haven't even added suppllies like paint, putty or any pricy photoetch and/or resin tidbits.

um its nto that hard to compare when you narrow it to North America. Istn it jsut Canada and the USA? I mean obviously one will be higher than the other its a given. Plus dont forget they have free healthcare for anyone. Only problem is if you want surgery or such you need wait in line. Its not like money talks in Canada. Thats why people in canad come here for stuff like surgery. actually, North America includes Mexico too. Astonishing as it may sound, we have the highest taxes, but the US actually spends MORE per citizen than the canadian government. Basically, the US taxpayer gets more "bang" for every tax "buck" he is charged for. We may have "free" health care, but the US has an absolutely monstrous military machine, which is astronomically-expensive to deploy and maintain. This alone far outweighs our mediocre medicare expenditures. The simple truth is that canadian taxes are nothing more than legalized embezzlement. Do you think Paul Martin or Jean Chretien will ever serve a minute of jail time or pay a dime in restitution for the 1 BILLION+ dollars that magically went "missing" during their tenure in office? Of course not. They are the system, and the system protects itself from the taxpayers, who have grown ever more meek.

Slow mail is just the tip of the iceberg in this country... Improving on one's stupidity and feeblemindedness seem to be the national passtime now. What do you expect from a country that has the highest taxes in all of North America, where the customs officers are unarmed clerks, and where intruders are allowed to sue the owners of the homes they break-into when the owners try to protect themselves.

The Robosapien control system was designed by Mark Tilden. He's still under contract to NASA as far as I know, but he seems to have been granted permission to moonlight on toy projects... He also participated in the development of Hasbro's big 14" R2D2 a while back. I used to work for Wow Wee toys years ago. The cheap plastic is a typical Wowwee trademark... Among many other points of lackluster product design. I've offered to help them fix a lot of those shortcomings, as well as offer to help "style" their toys, but alas...

You can definitely thin Tamiya or Gunze acrylics with lacquer thinner, but I wonder if that would be wise for painting. Personally, since acrylics are water-soluble, I like to take the less toxic route, and thin them with either rubbing alcohol, or if you need the paint finish to be a tad shinier, or for clears, I use distilled water. I have built-up models painted entirely with acrylics that were done almost 15 years ago, and the finish is still as nice as if it had been applied a few hours ago... All acrylics diluted with alcohol.

I have to say, the toy looks surprisingly good thus far. The color, the molding all look nice. I'm not a die-hard activist for sturdiness, since collector toys should emphasize detail and poseability over sturdiness anyway. I'm still going to wait for a fellow MW member to review it, but overall, it looks like Toynami have done their homework.

To keep things short, sweet and simple, your enamel paints will always remain tacky on PVC vinyl kits. You'll just have to strip it. How do you strip a painted vinyl kit? Try Easy Off LEMON scented oven cleaner. Before committing that to the actual kit, do yourself a huge favor and test it on a leftover scrap piece. If all goes well, it'll just attack the enamel paint, and you'll be able to wipe off the residue with a cloth ( takes about 4-6 hrs.) For vinyl kits, you should stick to hobby paints like GUNZE SANGYO Aqueous colors, or Tamiya acrylics... Both available from any reputable hobby retailer.

Are you referring to a Valkyrie MPC, or the soon-to-be released Alpha? Your post was confusing to read.

You don't need any special compensator to shoot Glocks underwater. What you DO need is the P/N 3073 'Spring Cups, Amphibious'. Graham, (Glock Armorer since 1996). ...Yes, that's it! The little bits that allow the firing pin to maintain sufficient velocity to detonate the primers underwater... Or something along those lines. Personally, i can't think of any instances where any civilian would even WANT to fire their gun underwater (if I want to play with a gun in the bathtub, I just use a waterpistol )

Shooting a glock underwater? Without the special compensator PROPERLY installed, you might as well just chop your hand off with a meat cleaver... Nowhere near as messy as letting the exploding gun do it for ya I've done some research on glocks, and apparently the.40 has a nasty little habit of exploding on you if you should be unfortunate enough to get a bad shell-casing on the round you're firing. This guy seems to echo my sentiments... http://members.cox.net/guntraining/no_glocks.htm This is not to say that I think glocks are bad guns; my biggest beef with them is that they're just horribly unattractive

Hi JS Arclight. You'll be happy to know that my 9mm is fundamentally gimmick-free. There would be no use for a decocker, since there is no hammer whatsoever; the firing system is something completely new that I designed from scratch. Idiotically-simple, but rugged and reliable. Though I can't elaborate on details, I can tell you a few things about it: the pistol is COMPLETELY ambidextrous, right out of the box: safety, mag release button and slide release are all designed so that you can use the gun with either hand without any fumbling whatsoever(ALL backup guns should be). Furthermore, I also incorporated a sighting system that is 100% snag-free, and yet makes aiming even easier and quicker than with normal sights. You'll also be happy to know that the grip, which is minimised in thickness AND length(no extra room needed for a sear or main spring) sports finger indentations for maximum controllability. The safety also does double-duty, locking both the firing pin AND the trigger when not in use... Completely drop-safe. Oh... Did I mention that it can do all this with a mere 41 total parts? That includes the sights, screws, and springs.

Hi Opus. I was grappling with the issue of mag capacity during the design phase as well. The problem is, when you design a micro-compact, whether you go for single stack, or double-stack to get the 10 rounds, you compromise on compactness and concealability. My own take is that 6+1 rounds is more than adequate for a CC/backup weapon. If you need more rounds than that to take down an assailant or two, it's cos your aim is bad! LOL Seriously though, for certain situations, nothing beats a full-size gun with the full 10 round mag. The good thing about designing something small, is that it's a lot easier to size-up afterwards, than the other way around.. If I play my cards right, hopefully I'll be able to offer both

I currently carry a Glock 19 and HK USP Compact in .357 SIG as backups when I am working. One on each side of my vest. off duty, I carry two Glock 33s in .357 SIG. i usually carry these in either a dual shoulder-rig or in two fobus paddle holsters. I am looking into getting the HK P2000 subcompact in .357 SIG when it comes out. Hmm. Those are still fairly bulky pieces to carry. I always had a liking for the PPK, but it's a little bit large for a "modern" .380, and for that size, I'd definitely like something with a bit more stopping-power. Hopefully, what I've got in development will make concealed-carry a little more "concealable"; especially for everyday use. Essentially, I've been working on a compact semi-auto chambered for 9mm. 5.6 inches in total length, 4" high, and 0.95" across grip & slide. Mag capacity:6 rounds... The best part is that it's DAO, but uses a slide-in trigger like a 1911, and a few other features that I can't really elaborate on... Yet.

I design guns and I can't believe I haven't noticed this thread until now Anyone here into compact, concealed-carry pieces?

It just dawned on me that this year will mark the 20th anniversary of Takaya's Bio Boosted Armor Guyver series. I know that they're releasing a new series of poseable figures based on their old vinyl kit series line, but I was wondering if anything else might be planned?

Hi Sam. All I can say is wow, Guyver III never looked so good! I took a stroll onto HLJ's website, and did a search for both Max Factory and Guyver, but they don't seem to have the item listed--out of stock, or otherwise. Is the original yen price listed on the box, by chance?

To call the Exorcist "overrated" is truly unfair. It stands as probably the scariest horror movie of all time, not because of its visual effects, but more because of it's chilling mood and psychological impact. Gore does not mean scary, and vice-versa. For what it's worth, it boggles me that films like Scream and its carbon-copy immitations are held in such high regard by the average viewer; they're completely devoid of the fundamental psychological "chill" factor necessary to truly frighten a person to the core. That's why the Exorcist will probably always be toted as the king.

... I seem to have found the answer to my own question, and the answer is an impressive doosie. Quoted directly from the Hyperscale aircraft forums: "APPROXIMATE ARRIVAL: SEPTEMBER 1, 2004 ___**2224 1/32 SUKHOI SU27 FLANKER-B FIGHTER SRP $149.95 The Su-27 was developed as a long-range air superiority fighter, having improved the quality of the former Soviet fighters. It’s combat abilities compare roughly to the US F-15. Up to 10 air-to-air missiles can be carried and is equipped with a formidable front and rear radar system. This allows the Su-27 to fire at targets in front or behind the aircraft. The Flanker-B variant was placed into service in April, 1981, having been newly equipped with better aerodynamics and an aft radar extension. Kit consists of 350 parts on 9 giant sprues plus upper and lower fuselage halves, canopy, nose radome and 3 rubber tires. Additional features include white metal landing gear & struts, pitot head and flap shaft, photo-etched aileron and flap hinges and a film instrument panel. Markings are for the 582nd Fighter Regiment, 4th Air Army Frontal Aviation, Chojna, Poland, 1992. Operational parts include the flaps and speedbrake, and opening canopy. Completed kit measures 27 ½” long with a wingspan of over 18". Oooooh boy, she's gonna be a BIG BIRD!